Karl Cook and Farrari Del, Mar, Calif. - Kicking off the spotlight classes at Showpark Summer Festival, the $25,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix welcomed an impressive 51 entries to compete for the top prize. With both green and seasoned horses in the class, course designer Linda Allen built a technical track that asked many questions at the 1.40m height. Featuring 17 efforts in a time allowed of 90 seconds, the intricate track required both speed and endurance from competitors to jump clean...

John Perez and Utopia (Captured Moments Photography) San juan Capistrano, Calif. - On an idyllic Southern California afternoon, the $30,000 1.40m Markel Insurance Grand Prix, presented by Davidson Communities, welcomed twenty entries. With a mixed field of veterans, young horses and rookie grand prix riders, Jackie Leemon's expansive course challenged but didn't over face the competitors. In a jump-off of eleven horse and rider combinations, seasoned partners John Perez and Utopia rose...

U.S. Olympic gold and silver medalist Leslie Howard guided Tic Tac to victory in the $100,000 CSI2* Synoil Energy Services Cup on August 9 at the CSI2* Summer Festival at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON. (Ben Radvanyi Photography) Palgrave, Ontario – U.S. Olympic gold and silver medalist Leslie Howard topped an international starting field to win the $100,000 CSI2* Synoil Energy Services Cup at the CSI2* Summer Festival held August 6 to 10 at the Caledon Pan Am...

Tim Goguen and Character (Emily Ride/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - At the end of Wednesday's Kentucky Summer Classic Second Year Green Hunters, the hotly contested division championship had come down to a tie. Both Character, ridden by Tim Goguen, and Silhouette, ridden by John French, sat tied at 32 points, but with more points earned over fences it was Goguen and Character who claimed the division's top title. "He went nicely this week. He tried hard and ended up champion,"...

Gabriella Salick and Centuria 2 (Captured Moments Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - A host of talented equestrians came out to play on a crystal clear afternoon at the Showpark Summer Festival, closing out a busy week of competition. Twenty-seven entries vied for the top prize in the $30,000 Summer Festival Grand Prix, presented by Mary's Tack & Feed, on an intricate course designed by Venezuela's Leopoldo Palacios. Featuring a technical layout with many related distances that covered...

The "Vintorious" team with Chef d'Equipe Vinton Karrasch and Clay Riddell, Chief Executive Officer, Paramount Resources (Spruce Meadows Media Service) Calgary, Alberta – The Spruce Meadows Summer Series continues this week with the 'Canada One' Tournament CSI 4*, which runs through Sunday, June 29 and features the $125,000 Imperial Challenge 1.55m. Opening competitions on Wednesday featured junior and amateur riders in Prix des Nations events at five different heights, giving them...

Anne Kursinski (Chicago Equestrian) Antioch, Ill. - The first day of the George H. Morris Gladstone Program Training Session, organized by Diane Carney at Rush and Caroline Weeden's Annali-Brookwood Farm, was packed with learning opportunities for the ten hand selected riders and large group of auditors. The "Gladstone Program" is an intensive week of training and education for exceptionally dedicated and talented show jumping riders who are serious about their interest and desire to pursue...

Laura Linback and Carmina (Phelps Media Group) Wayne, Ill. - Laura Linback and Carmina have not been in a partnership for long, only six months, but they are at the top of their game. Friday afternoon they captured the win in the $5,000 1.30m Open Jumpers, presented by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, during the Showplace Spring Spectacular I. They vaulted to the top of the leader board in an astonishing 37.416 seconds, more than a second ahead of their challengers in a six-horse jump-off. "I...

Michael Taylor of Taylor Harris Insurance Services with McLain Ward ( Brenda Carpenter) Devon, Pa. – The Devon Horse Show & Country Fair welcomes another year of world-class show jumping competition in the Dixon Oval, with open jumper competition beginning the evening of Tuesday, May 27, and continuing through Saturday, May 31. Devon will play host to the top show jumping riders in North America as they compete at one of the most historical and renowned shows in the United States. The...

Claire Azar and Guarantee (Emily Riden/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - Claire Azar earned the highest score in the first round of today's NAL/WIHS Children's Hunter Classic at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, and when she cleared the final fence of the second round she guaranteed her victory with the aptly named Guarantee. The NAL/WIHS Children's Hunter Classic is a highlight event for riders, running as two rounds; the final over fences class of the Children's Hunter...